Admissions

If you are unable to complete an application form online, you may contact the school at (919)240-7787 to arrange to use a computer at the school to submit your application.

The deadline to be included in the lottery was 12:00 noon on Friday January 16, 2015. Applications received after that date are added to the bottom of the wait list in the order they are received.

The 2015-2016 admissions lottery will be held on Monday February 2, 2015. The results can be found here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who may apply?

An
application may be submitted for any child who turns six (6) years old
before September 1, 2014 OR if the child is or was enrolled in another
school in the grade that precedes the one for which application is made.
By law, the student must currently reside with a parent or
court-appointed legal guardian in North Carolina to apply.
I believe that my child is currently assigned to the wrong grade. Can I apply for a spot in any grade I wish?

Willow
Oak Montessori administration may not discuss the specifics of a
child’s situation until s/he has been enrolled at the school. Once
enrolled, Willow Oak Montessori administration will determine the
appropriate grade placement for each student based on factors such as
age, maturity, and past academic background. Please see the previous
answer for guidance on which grade you should apply for.

My child is home schooled. What grade may I apply for?

According
to the State of North Carolina Department of Non-Public Education, the
grade level of home-schooled students is determined by the Home School
Administrator. As such, you may apply for a spot in the grade that
follows the grade that the child is currently enrolled in. Once
enrolled, Willow Oak Montessori administration will determine the
appropriate grade placement for each student based on factors such as
age, maturity, and past academic background.

How will I know that you have received my application?

We
will acknowledge all applications via the preferred e-mail provided in
your application or via US Mail if no e-mail address is provided. If
your application was complete, the acknowledgment will include your
lottery entry number. Please retain this number, as lottery results will
be posted by number only.

How will you conduct the lottery?

We
plan to use a publicly available random number generator (www.random.org) to create a
randomized list of lottery entry numbers. The number generation process
will be projected onto a screen so that all present can see the steps
taken and the results as they become available. In accordance with our
Admissions Policy, at least one impartial community member will be
present to observe the lottery.

Do all siblings get a spot in the school if one child is selected in the lottery?

Only multiple birth siblings are treated as one entry in the lottery. Any other siblings are each entered individually.
Does anyone have priority in the lottery this year?

Priority is given to the siblings of currently enrolled students, children of faculty members, and children enrolled within the previous two years who left for an academic or parent's vocational opportunity, in that order. Students of the
Willow Oak Montessori Children's House program do NOT receive any
priority for a seat in the public charter school.

How long will I have to accept an offered spot in the school if my child is selected in the lottery?

You
will have seven days to accept an offered spot after notification via
the preferred phone number and e-mail address provided in the
application. If you do not contact us within seven days, the student’s
name will be placed at the bottom of the waitlist. A copy of the
student’s birth certificate, proof of residency, and immunization record
will be required at the time of enrollment. Please contact us before
the lottery to discuss any questions or concerns you might have so that
you have the information you need to make a decision in the timeframe
available.

Willow Oak Montessori Admissions Policy

Updated 11-14-2013

302.1 Admission

As required by state law (G.S. 115C-218.45), any child who is qualified for admission to a North Carolina public school is qualified for admission to the school. Admission shall not be determined according to the school attendance area in which a student resides.

The School shall not discriminate against any
student on the basis of ethnicity, national origin, gender, or disability.Except as otherwise provided by law or the
mission of the School as set out in the charter, the School shall not limit
admission to students on the basis of intellectual ability, measures of
achievement or aptitude, athletic ability, disability, race, creed, gender, sexual
orientation, national origin, religion, or ancestry.

302.2 Admission Priority

For
the purposes of this section, the term “siblings” includes any of the following
who reside in the same household: full siblings, half siblings, stepsiblings,
and children residing in a family foster home.

The
School will give priority in this order:

1.
Siblings of currently enrolled students who were admitted to the School in a previous
year.

2.
Children of the school's full-time employees.

3.
Students who were enrolled within the two previous school years, but left the
school (i) to participate in an academic study abroad program or a competitive
admission residential program, or (ii) because of the vocational opportunities
of the student’s parent.

Preference
may be given to the children of employees so long as the percentage of students does
not exceed fifteen percent (15%) of the school's population.

302.3 Open Enrollment

The School will
hold an annual open enrollment period of at least 30 days. At the conclusion of the enrollment
period, if the number of applicants for a particular grade does not exceed the
number of available spaces for that grade level, all eligible students who have
properly applied by the deadline will be accepted.At the close of the enrollment period, if the
number of applicants for a particular grade level exceeds available spaces for
that grade level, a lottery system will determine admission eligibility. If multiple birth siblings apply for admission to the School
and a lottery is needed, the School shall enter one surname into the lottery to
represent all of the multiple birth siblings. If that surname of the multiple
birth siblings is selected, then all of the multiple birth siblings shall be
admitted.

Students
who are not offered enrollment will be placed on a wait list.After all spaces for a grade level are
filled, the lottery will continue until all applying students have been assigned
a number on the wait list.The wait list
will not carry into the next School year, but will remain and be used for
admission should a space become available during the current School year for
which it was conducted.

Attendance at
school every day, particularly at the beginning of the school year, is
critical. In the event that an enrolled student does not attend any orienting
events prior to the start of the school year, the school will make an effort to
contact the family via telephone and/or email to ensure that the student still
intends to attend the school. If a student does not show up for school on the
first day of school, the school will again contact the family via the telephone
numbers and e-mail addresses provided on the student’s enrollment paperwork.
The family will have three days (72 hours) to respond
to these inquiries to confirm that the student still intends to attend the
school before the student’s space is offered to the next student on the waiting
list.

Students offered
a space from the wait list will have seven (7) days to accept the space after
being notified that the space is available via telephone and/or e-mail by
submitting completed enrollment paperwork in person to the School’s
office.If a space becomes available within
one week of the start of the school year or after the school year has started,
the family will have three days (72 hours) to
accept an offered space. If an offered space is declined or is not accepted by
the applicable deadline, that student’s name will be placed at the bottom of
the wait list and the next person on the waitlist will be offered the space.
This process will continue until all spaces are filled or the wait list is
exhausted.

After admission
and during the School year, serious and/or repeated deviations from the
policies and procedures defined by the School will result in an evaluation of
the student’s placement in the School, as allowed by law.